written by Rita-Marie Goudreau,CNM

What is Libido?

Libido is your desire to have sex or the desire to be sexually stimulated. Libido is often called “Sex Drive”. Libido and arousal are closely related and difficult to separate. Libido refers to a baseline interest in sex and might be redefined as your “sexual appetite”. Arousal refers to the physical response to sexual stimuli. Women with higher libidos generally have a greater response to sexual stimuli, or greater arousal. Physical manifestations of sexual arousal include vaginal lubrication and increased blood flow to the labia, clitoris and vagina.

What can decrease Libido?

1. Illness, Pain, or Infections- When you are not feeling well, sex moves lower on your list of priorities. Pain, weakness, fatigue and depression are known to decrease libido and may make it difficult for you to desire or enjoy sex. Vaginal dryness or pain with intercourse can cause negative physical responses and the desire for sex disappears due to the discomfort. Some surgeries can damage nerves or tissue that can cause a loss of sensation and decrease in libido. Infections of the bladder, uterus or surrounding tissues can also cause a decrease in libido because of the pain, embarrassment or imbalance of hormones.

This seminar will address how to incorporate the use of herbs, homeopathic remedies and aroma therapy to women's health issues to include gynecologic care, pregnancy, labor and delivery and postpartum care. The talk will be an overview and will focus on the needs of the group. Sara Pinkman, CNM will be our speaker. The seminar will be held on Thursday, August 25 in our Woodbridge office from 6:30pm- 7:30pm. Please bring a friend if you'd like! Light refreshments will be served.

Josh and I found out I was pregnant with our first child in February of 2004. We were both very excited and nervous. We were afraid of how it was going to change our lives. I was very active in animal rescue and both of us were very much in to exercise. I was a runner and enjoyed the freedom to run when I pleased! We had not been trying to get pregnant, but we had not been trying to prevent it either. We decided to just let nature run its course.

We found out I was pregnant when I was only 5 weeks. I had been in the hospital because I had the flu and the nurse asked when my last period was. Neither of us could remember. So once I was feeling better I took a pregnancy test. The first one I did had a very light positive. So I did another one. It was another light positive. I ended up going to my doctor at the time for a urine test. That came up negative. So I did another home test and again a light positive. So I called my doctor and told them I wanted a blood test. Finally a blood test confirmed my pregnancy. At the time we had a health insurance provider that did not have the Adler Center on their list. I had always gone to the Adler Center and could not imagine going anywhere else. I was able to pick up new insurance through my employer just so that I could go there.

I grew up in Richmond, Virginia and attended Radford University. I went back to school at age 27 to become a nurse. After graduating, I took a job on a Medical Surgical unit in a hospital. That job taught me many valuable nursing skills and exposed me to many different types of patients. Hospital nursing is rough and quite tiring so I decided to try something new and joined the Adler Center in February, 2004. My favorite part about working at the Adler Center is getting to know the patients. It's very exciting seeing a patient come in for their first OB visit and following them throughout their pregnancy. Just don't forget to bring those babies in after they are born, we LOVE to see them!

My husband, Jay, and I have been married for over a year. We just found out that we are going to have a baby! We are so excited! In our spare time, we enjoy having dinner parties, going to restaurants, exploring new towns, traveling and just being with friends and family. I also enjoy going to the gym and running. I have run a few 10K's in my time and plan to run a few more. Shopping is a weakness for me so Potomac Mills has gotten me in quite a bit of trouble so far! (Especially with a baby on the way!)

What is a baby story? Well, it's a story that is written by a new mom which tells about her experience with delivering her baby through the Adler Center. By sharing these stories, new patients can see what delivering with the Adler Center is like, family and friends can read about your birth and see pictures on our website, you can brag about your experience through labor and help other mothers prepare by allowing them to read about your experience.

We encourage moms that have delivered not only recently, but even if they delivered with us several years ago to share their story(s). It's always interesting to see what other people go through during their pregnancy and delivery. Click here to read some of the baby stories already published in our E-Newsletters and on our website.

So far, our subscribers have loved reading our baby stories each month. Many people have told us that they can't wait until the next E-Newsletter to read another! If your baby was delivered by The Adler Center, and you would like to share your experience on our E-Newsletter and website, we urge you to write an article and email it to us. Don't forget to send a picture to go along with the article!

What topics would you like to learn about? We select topics for this E-Newsletter based on concerns we hear about in the office and the latest medical news. If you have a health issue you'd like to read about, a seminar topic you'd like to hear about, or any suggestions about how to better our practice - please let us know. We welcome your suggestions and comments!